spies in the US may be developing the skills to physically sabotage critical infrastructure during a conflict.
US investigations reveal that China has amassed a deep bench of sources and contacts, including law enforcement officers, in multiple US cities who are willing to harm civilians and damage property on Beijing's behalf.
In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car. It is not hard to imagine how operatives trained in such covert surveillance could instead plant explosives, start fires, or carry out assassinations.
To be clear, there are few clear indications that China is actively planning acts of sabotage here. However, US authorities have tracked dozens of incidents in which Chinese nationals, sometimes posing as tourists, attempted to access military bases and other sensitive sites. Such incidents may signal early efforts by Beijing to test security and develop plans to physically attack these locations.
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